Am I the only one who thinks anything less than 400mi of range is legacy at this point?

[thebottomline]

Where do guys come up with this stuff? I am on my 2nd R1 in the northeast and even this winter with many days in the teens, running between NJ-PA-VA I can consistently get 200-225 miles on a large pack with AT tires (rated for 289) and some buffer to spare.

Yes, on loooong road trips, like 5 states away type road trips, it can get annoying having to make an extra stop or two but the northeast? It's one of the most dense areas for charging options. I honestly don't even think about it anymore.

Maybe if we're talking LFP vs NMC then yeah, I wouldn't buy a LFP pack in a Rivian. Stick with Tesla or something else.

Boston, Maine, NH and Canada. Much colder.

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[thebottomline]

No to your original question, that's range anxiety talking. For road trips 4-5 hours is about the length of driving before a stop. Whether 350 (current) or 400, no practical difference for me. With fast charging everywhere range isn't a decision maker anymore when it comes to roadtrips.

On the subject of driving in the cold, preheat the car and battery for a penalty but not even 30%. When I preheat for work in winter my 251 70% becomes 240 or so. If I don't the battery is 32F and every battery at that temperature is crappy.

The problem with this is on a 6 hour drive in 10-20 degree weather pre heating doesn't do anything because it can't keep the battery warm enough over that period.

I have an R1S, I love it, the 410 range is good, I was disappointed in the R2 range, I'll just wait a couple years, it'll get there I am sure!

 

[TTedP]

Boston, Maine, NH and Canada. Much colder.

Fair point. Somehow the Scandinavians manage but probably due to great charger infrastructure and shorter distances.

My buddy has a Hummer with the double pack. Gets insane range on that thing.

 

[krockett]

I tried doing the Racetrack in Death Valley over the weekend from 100% charge, departing from Furnace Creek. I was halfway in the off-road section from Ubehebe Crater to the Racetrack and I had to make a business decision to turn around. I would be cutting it too close to be able to make it back with enough juice. So, in this scenario, resounding yes that 300 miles is legacy.

There’s the hard truth though, hard to be truly adventurous if we’re constrained by charging. I’m on the boat that needs a range extender, or get far more juice out of a pack. In normal, day to day, 300 is plenty

 

[ribuck97]

That’s been my point about the R2. It’s not competitively priced. I guess they are hoping there is enough pent up demand for a Rivian that people will pay $20k more than for a Tesla.

In general, its not an apples to apples $20k more doing comparisons over the Model Y and R2 lines

R2 Perf $58k = Model Y Perf $57.5k (R2 will be more with cost options)

Currently there is a $8k premium from $40k -> $48k for the base RWD trims which is steep!

 

[tkauftheil]

Range doesn’t really bother me anymore. I have the gen 2 R1S. I wfh so I could go a week between charging. For the few roadtrips I have done or will do, my back and legs need a break ab every 209 miles or so. So my ~270 mi range doesn’t bother me one bit. I used to think that 30 mi to refuel was a pain. But it has taught me to slow down and enjoy the the little things.

Reading a lot of these posts, it seems like anything less than 10,000 mile of range, 3 min 10-100 charge and the CarPlay, no one is satisfied.

Personally I think the R1S is one of the best cars I have ever owned. Quirks and all.

 

[CANCERDOC]

It is great to have super long range. But it is also range the majority of drivers will seldom use, and therefore for a make-it-or-break-it company like Rivian, they cannot add larger batteries until they can turn a profit on their volume models.

 

[JacobAZ]

We all have different needs. However, reality is, for most people 300 miles of range will be sufficient once they understand its a different mindset fueling an EV verses ICE ... and cars are mass marketed. This isn't 2016. The number of fast charge stations added over the past 10 years is multiple times more and still growing. It's good marketing for Rivian to offer 3 sizes of batteries depending upon your need. I chose the large pack in gen 2 (max would be nice but did not need extra range for additional $6k). I live in the mountain west, where we have some of the largest charging deserts, yet I can drive just about anywhere today ... not true 10 years ago. On long trips being fully charged in at departure ... driving 200 - 250 miles, then charging and eating early lunch .... Then drive another 200- 250 miles, charge, stretch, snack, bathroom, then drive another 200 miles to where I will stay at night and charge so ready to go in morning. I am happy with 600 mile drive days. Charging adds adds time but not that much considering I would stop to eat, bathroom, and stretch. Would 400 mile range change anything for me? Yes, I could get to a few more remote areas ... once or twice a year.

 

[schwartz83]

Living in the northeast, cold climate, I won't buy an EV with less than 400 miles of range at this point. I just think it's too problematic especially in cold and especially as the car (batteries) age. Long drives in winter you get 30-50% range degradation, it's 2026, how is it that all batt packs aren't at least 400miles+?

Minnesota here. Plenty cold and we take road trips across the upper Midwest during the winter. I find 300 miles of range acceptable though I'd sure take more. Depending on price of course. It's a tradeoff. I'm sure it will get better over time.

 

[Tlohrenz]

My bladder can't last 400 miles, so why pay for
Something you can't use. The charging curve is what needs improving. Like stay at 225 kWh's until 80% vs 40ish %.

 

[schwartz83]

Yes and no.

I live in MN and venture deep into the northwoods in winter a lot and also do camping trips deep into the wilderness out west. I have a max pack R1T with >400 miles range and am very happy I do.

We have a R2 on order as a second vehicle and I am totally ok with the 330 mile range for that vehicle. Most, people would be fine with 330 miles, even in MN, so long as you don’t venture really far into the boondocks. It gets -20F here and I’m not worried about using to R2 in winter here.

I will never get a vehicle with a LFP battery pack though.

Hey Budman...why no on LFP? I admittedly haven't stayed on top of the pros and cons of the different chemistries.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Hey Budman...why no on LFP? I admittedly haven't stayed on top of the pros and cons of the different chemistries.

I'm no Budman. But... Every chemical reaction has an ideal temperature range for producing optimal results, without causing unwanted side reactions or degradation of reactants or products. LFP chemistry is more sensitive to cold temps, which is why EVs that use these cells have heat pumps. But until the heat pumps have had enough run time to bring pack temp up, there is/will always be a period when LPF pack performance is hampered. Lots of people don't know this, assume whatever is new (or whatever Tesla does) is automatically superior tech.

 

[Budman]

Hey Budman...why no on LFP? I admittedly haven't stayed on top of the pros and cons of the different chemistries.

1. Calibration Issues
2. Cold weather charging
3. Energy density.

Calibration: One of the selling points of LFP is "you get to charge to 100% regularly". It should also be said "you have to charge to 100% regularly". Without getting into details, if you don't charge to 100% regularly the estimated range remaining can be significantly in error and can rapidly and unexpectedly drop to zero. If you are on a trip or a situation where charging to 100% isn't practical this behavior can bite you.

Cold weather charging. LFP can charge very slowly or not at all if the battery pack is cold. NMC can charge slowly too but at least it will accept a charge.

3. LFP vehicles generally have less battery storage and range due to inherently lower energy density.


You can check out a recent Out of Spec video where they unloaded their Rivian R1S with LFP because it just wasn't a practical vehicle.

 

[artuvian]

1. Calibration Issues
2. Cold weather charging
3. Energy density.

Calibration: One of the selling points of LFP is "you get to charge to 100% regularly". It should also be said "you have to charge to 100% regularly". Without getting into details, if you don't charge to 100% regularly the estimated range remaining can be significantly in error and can rapidly and unexpectedly drop to zero. If you are on a trip or a situation where charging to 100% isn't practical this behavior can bite you.

Cold weather charging. LFP can charge very slowly or not at all if the battery pack is cold. NMC can charge slowly too but at least it will accept a charge.

3. LFP vehicles generally have less battery storage and range due to inherently lower energy density.


You can check out a recent Out of Spec video where they unloaded their Rivian R1S with LFP because it just wasn't a practical vehicle.

Wow, I didn't know half of that, thanks.

Which battery technology does the R2 have? Do we know?

 

[sparked]

Wow, I didn't know half of that, thanks.

Which battery technology does the R2 have? Do we know?

One of the standard nickel rich cathodes. Something like NMCA.

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